Land-pulverizer



(No Model.) V2-shem-sneet- 1. B. S. SEXSON.

LAND PUL'VBRIZER.

Patented Aug. 8, 1893,

No. 50S-,006.

WIIII III /NVENTH UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN S. SEXSON, OF CINCINNATI, INDIANA.

LAND-PULVERIZER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 503,006, dated Augusts, 1893.

Application filed April 1, 1893. Serial IIa/168,669. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern) y Be it known that I, BENJAMIN S. SEXsoN,of Cincinnati, in the county of Greene and State of Indiana, haveinvented a newl'an'd Im'- proved Land-Pulverizer, of -which' thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention'relates to improvements in land pulverizers; and the objectof my invention is to produce a, simple machine which may be easilyhauled, which has rotary cutters or pulverizers adapted to be held atany necessary height and to turn easily through the soil and finelypulverize the same, which is provided with several of these pulverizersto pulverize any soil which has been once` plowed yso as to obviatereplowing.

A further object of my invention is to construct and arrange thepulverizers so that they may be cheaply made, easily repaired, andrapidly rotated.

To these ends my invention consists of certain features of constructionand combinations of the same, as will be hereinafter described andclaimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar figures of reference indicatecorresponding parts in` all the views.

Figure 1 is a broken plan view of the machine embodying my invention.Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1. Fig.2a is abroken detail section of the cutter or pulverizer. Fig. 3 is a detailplan view of amodified form of cutter or pulverizer. Fig. 4 is a centralcross section of the same. Fig. 5 is a detail view showing how thecutter blades shown in Figs. 3 and i arefastened in place. Fig. 6 is adetail plan of another modiiied form of cutter or pulverizer; and Fig. 7is a cross section: of the same.

The machine is provided with a suitable frame 10 which is provided witha common pole 11 or its equivalent, by means of which it may be'haule'd,and the frame is journaled at its rear end on the axle 12 of the wheels18. The wheels are loose on the axle and connect with it by means of theusual ratchet mechanism 13a which causes the axle to turn only While themachine is being drawn forward. The pawls may be thrown out when themachin'eis not to be operated thus" permitting th'ewheels 13 to turnonlthe axle.

Behind the main frame is a vertically swinging frame, carrying thedetachable cutter or pulverizer forming the main feature of myinvention, and this frame consists of the parallel side pieces 14 and aconnecting cross bar 15. The side pieces are hinged to the axle 12 bymeans of straps 1eta which are journaled on the axle and rigidlyatt-ached to the side pieces 14.

The cutter or pulverizer 16 shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is especially adaptedfor use on relatively hard soil, as it is very strong and is adapted toforce its way easily through such soil. It is provided with a centershaft 17, one end of which is journaled in one of the side pieces 14 andthe other end of which rests in a socket 18 in the opposite side piece,this arrangement enabling the cutter or pulverizer to be easily removedwhen another is to be substituted.

The cutter is provided with curved spiral blades 19 which are arrangedparallel with each other and which encircle the center shaft, theseblades beingbent inward at one end,"as shown at 20, and secured to acollar 21 on one end of the shaft 17. The blades are also supported atintervals by curved spokes 22 and by the curved bars 19a, see Fig. 2,which are secured to the spokes and are curved to the shape of theblades. The blades are fastened to the bars and may be detached whennecessary so that they may be easily renewed. The blades may be eachmade of a single piece or Imaybe made up in sections, if desired, andeach blade has a cutting edge bent outward slightly so that when thecutter or pulverizer is rotated, thebladeswillreadilyenterthe ground andas they turn they cause the ground, with which they come in contact, tobe thoroughly pulverized. The shaft 17 has a sprocket wheel 23thereon'which connects by means of chain 24 with a sprocket wheel 25which turns loosely on the shaft. The sprocket Wheel 25 is fixed to asmaller sprocket wheel 26 which also turns loosely on the shaft, andthis connects by a chain 27 with a larger sprocket wheel 28 which isfixed on a countershaft 29 journaled in the front portion of the frame10; journaled on IOO the shaft 29 is a smaller sprocket wheel 30 whichis driven by a chain 31 connecting with a relatively large sprocketwheel 32 which is xed to the shaft 12.

On the shaft 29 is a common form of clutch 33 which is adapted toconnect the sprocket wheel 30 with the shaft, and the clutch comprisesthe usual sleeve 34 which has teeth 35 to enter recesses 36, see Fig. 2,in the sprocket wheel 30, and a lever 37 for actuating the sleeve. Thesleeve is keyed to the shaft in the usual way, and the lever 37 foroperating it is fulcrumed on an arm 39 which is secured to a cross barof the main frame 10. The sleeve 34 is normally pressed against thesprocket wheel 31 by a spring 41 on the countershaft, and when thrownaway from the sprocket wheel it may be held in position by a catch 40,see Fig. 1; when the catch engages the sprocket wheel, it will be seenthat the motion of the axle will be transmitted to the pulverizerthrough the sprocket wheels 32, 30, 28, 26, 25 and 23, and theirconnecting chains, s0 that the speed of the pulverizer will be increasedand the pulverizer will turn with suiiicient rapidity through the soil.It will be understood that other suitable gearing may be substituted forthe sprocket wheels and chains and that the pulverizer may be rotatedwith any necessary speed.

The lever 37 for operating the catch should extend to within easy reachof the seat 10 on the main frame, and a lever 42 for regulating theheight of the pulverizer is also arranged within reach of the seat andextends longitudinally across the top of the machine. This lever 42 issplit, as shown at 43, and fulcrumed on a post 44 by means of a pin 45which extends through the lever and post, and the post is provided withaseries of holes 46 to receive the pin so that the lever maybe arrangedat any necessary height. The rear end of the lever connects with theswinging frame carrying the pulverizers by means of a spring 47 andchain 47 a which are secured to the rear end of the lever and to thecross bar 15 of the swinging frame. This enables the frame to beadjusted by moving the lever and it also causes the pulverizer to havethe necessary freedom of movement to enable it to pass without injuryover obstructions in the soil.

The lever 42 swings opposite a notched quadrant 48 of the common formwhich is secured to the pole 11 and extends upward therefrom, the levermoving between this quadrant and guard rail 49, while a spring 50, whichis secured to the lever and arranged between it and the guard rail,presses the lever into engagement with the notches of the quadrant. Thisarrangement enables the lever to be held at any necessary height. Theswinging frame and pulverizer may be held raised when the machine is tobe moved from field to field, by the bars 14h, staples 14C and suitablekeys for the staples. The bars 14b are secured to the frame 10 andproject above the side pieces 14 of the swinging frame and have slots toreceive the staples, which project through the bars when the frame israised, and by inserting keys in the staples the frame is held up.

The pulverizer is used by simply drawing it across the ground to b emellowed, and the movement of the machine causes the pulverizer to beturned by the gear mechanism described, and the blades 19, rotatingrapidly through the ground as they do, completely pulverize the same.

When the machine is to be used on soil which is covered with or containsany considerable quantity of trash, roots,sprouts, or other similarsubstances, the form of cutter or pulverizer shown in Fig. 3 ispreferably employed, and this may be readily substituted for thepulverizer 16. The pulverizcr shown in Fig. 3, comprises ashaft 51 whichis adapted to be hung in the swinging frame of the machine, and it has asprocket wheel 52 to connect with the chain 24. The shaft 5l is providedwith a plurality of outwardly extending curved blades 53 which are notcontinuous like the blades 19 but which are of a very similar shape,being of much such shape as the blades 19 would be if sections were cutout of their peripheries. These blades 53 are preferably fastened to theshaft in the manner shown in Fig. 6 that is to say, the ends of theblades are bolted between collars 55 on the shaft which is square incross section, as shown in Fig. 4, and the edges 54 of the blades, whichcome in contact with the shaft and which lie between the washers, arestraight so as to have a firm bearing on the shaft; this makes a strongsupport for the blades, although they may be attached in other wayswithout departing from the principle of my invention. The washers orcollars 55 have a square opening 56 in the center, which also fits theshaft.

For soils which are very full of trash, the form of cutter or pulverizershown in Fig. 6 is preferably employed, and this is provided with ashaft 57 having asprocket wheel 58 to connect with the chain 24. Theshaft 57 is provided with a series of cutters 59 which are in the formof oblong disks, and these are held between sleeves 60 on the shaft andin an inclined position, as shown in Fig. 6, so that as they turn theywill wabble through the earth, turning themselves to one side and thento the other, thus serving to pulverize the soil and also freethemselves from trash. The shaft 51 may however, be round incross-section, in which case the base of the blades 53 and the openingsin the Washers or collars 55 will be of correspon ding shape to fit theshaft.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. The combination with the main frame and its drivewheels and axle, of the vertically swinging frame hung on the axle andcarrying the rotary pulverizer operated from said drive wheels, thelongitudinally extending lever connected at its rear end with theswinging frame, staples on the side bars of IOO the swinging frame andthe bars extending rearwardly from the sides of the main frame andprovided with apertures to receive said staples when the swinging frameis swung up 'and permit of locking the same by passing keys or pinsthrough the staples, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with the main frame and its drive wheels and axle, ofthe vertically swinging frame carrying a rotary pulverizer operated fromthe drive wheels, a lonshaft, a xed sprocket 32 also on the main shaft,a chain connecting the sprockets 23, 25, a counter shaft 29 j ournaledon the main frame in front of the axle and provided with a fixedsprocket 28 chained to the sprocket A26 and a loose sprocket 30 chainedto the sprocket 32, and a clutch mechanism for connecting the' sprocket30 with its shaft, substantially as set forth.

4. A rotarypulverizer consisting in the shaft 51 provided with series ofshort spring blades or cutters 53 curved longitudinally and laterally,substantially as shown. p

5. A rotary -pulverizer consisting in the squared shaft 5l, pairs ofcollars 55 having squared openings receiving the shaft and thelongitudinally and laterally curved blades the straight inner edges ofwhich are held between said collars and rest transversely on the shaft,substantially as shown.

BENJAMIN S. SEXSON.

Witnesses:

HENRY D. LU'rEs, RICHARD W. YoHo.

